A Bit Like You And Me Radio

September 10, 2012

Kyu Sakamoto - Ue o Muite Arukō (1961)

Born in 1941 in Kawasaki, Japan, this artist is remembered for singing the only Japanese song to reach the top of the Billboard charts. When he was only two and a half years old, he and his family fled the bombings of Tokyo occurring during World War II. As a teenager, he joined a Japanese band, known as The Drifters, until internal strife led to him parting ways. After the success of his major solo hit, heard below, he embarked on a worldwide tour that eventually spawned a decently successful follow-up single and full-length album. In 1985, he died in the crash of Japanese Airlines Flight 123, the worst single-aircraft accident in human history.

Originally titled “Ue o Muite Arukō, or “I Look Up When I Walk,” this song was written by lyricist Rokusuke Ei and composer Hachidai Nakamura. When the British owner of Pye Records, Louis Benjamin, visited Japan, he heard the song multiple times during his trip and decided to bring it back with him to England. He chose to have the song renamed to "Sukiyaki" so that it would be both easier to pronounce and still sound distinctly Japanese. The new name, as seen above, had absolutely no relation to the lyrics of the song, as it is the name of a Japanese food dish. Released in the United States in 1963 with its new name, the song went to number one.

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About this 60s Music Website

The radio is infamous for playing the same dozen chart-topping hits day after day. There is a plethora of great music from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s that never gets any air time. The purpose of A Bit Like You And Me is to share old, forgotten '60s music (as well as other old music) with all listeners, proving that there's more music from the past than the media would have you believe. Whether looking for new music or rediscovering forgotten music, A Bit Like You And Me is a great place to hear old songs.

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